Tencent becoming global Internet player through innovation

Despite copycat charges at the inception of its flagship QQ chat program, Shenzhen-based Tencent Inc has been blazing a path of its own innovation.

The latest official recognition was a gold medal awarded by the State Intellectual Property Office in November for a patent on technology that improves peer-to-peer connectivity and efficient use of bandwidth.

With at least half of Internet traffic P2P data, the patent approved in 2004 has played a big role in improving the Tencent user experience in downloads and data transfers, said Wang Huotao, head of the company's intellectual property department.